All Categories of Degree Level Psychology

1. The table below gives the data from an experiment similar to that described in problem sheet 1, question 3, but using a different scoring system and with more subjects. So the data are social behaviour assessments of five groups of juvenile delinquents, with group 1 placed on probation without any special treatment. (A high score indicates better social behaviour.)

Analyse the data fully, including any appropriate post-hoc test.

2. A random sample of 8 subjects were shown four short films each of which were designed to change their attitude to an important or topical issue. The results are given below, with a large (positive) score indicating a change in attitude in the intended direction (a negative score indicates a change in attitude opposite to that intended).

Analyse these data fully and report your conclusions.

Answer: At first glance the treatment condition of Group 4 seems to be the most efficient in promoting the highest levels of better...

Argument 1.
The average model weighs 23% less than the average woman 1. Maintaining a weight that is 15% below your expected body weight fits the criterion for anorexia 2, so most models, according to medical standards, fit into the category of being anorexic 3.

Argument 2.
Marijuana may lead to amotivational syndrome 1. This is when a person loses concern about future events, lacks ambition, has diminished physical activity, and neglects his or herself 2. People with amotivational syndrome frequently turn to drugs in a search to find some meaning in life, which could explain why marijuana use is common among people with amotivational syndrome 3.

Argument 3.
Schizophrenics all come from families with a history of psychotic disorder 1, and Jones’s family has such a history 2, therefore Jones will exhibit schizophrenia 3.

Argument 4.
It is obvious that lack of exercise has a major role to play in child obesity 1. Scientists blame the television for becoming a substitute for outdoor sports 2, and therefore causing the plague of obesity 3.

Answer: There are several problems with the premises of this argument ( 1 and 2 ) which consequently result in a debatable conclusion....

Question: Describe how temperament has been defined and studied by developmental psychologists. With reference to relevant research and theory, discuss the relationship between children’s temperament and their early development.

Answer: From the moment infants are born, they differ form one another in the emotional responses they use most often. Some are cheerful...

Question: Describe the methods scientists have used to investigate how the brain works. Give examples of how studying the brain has helped us understand the relationship between brain activity and behaviour.

Answer: Biological psychology, or biopsychology, is the perspective concerned with the link between behaviour and the body, particularly the brain. Biological psychologists measure...